Scottish Pagan Federation Logo
GLASGOW – Reverend Linda Haggerstone made history on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at 2 PM, as she delivered the Time for Reflection, marking the first Pagan address in the 25-year history of the Scottish Parliament.
As the national interfaith officer at the Scottish Pagan Federation, Rev Haggerstone expressed gratitude for the invitation extended by the chamber. In her address, she conveyed, “By the power of star and stone, by the power of the land within and without, by all that is fair and free, I welcome you today to this Time for Reflection.”
The reverend elaborated on the evolution of paganism, noting that it has transformed from a historical slur still faced with discrimination to a “beautifully messy tapestry of spiritual paths.” Highlighting the diversity within modern paganism, she emphasized that its greatest strength and challenge lie in the wide range of beliefs and practices. As an example, she shared, “My chosen path is druidry, but a pagan may identify as wiccan, heathen, or a witch.”
The Wild Hunt will be following up on this story shortly.
Chief Puttany of the Yawanawa tribe at the World Economic Forum 2024 in Davos, Switzerland. | Credit: WEF (CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)
DAVOS – During a plenary session titled “Climate and Nature: A Systemic Response Is Needed” on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, Chief Putanny Yawanawá from the Amazonian Yawanawá tribe in the Acre region of northwest Brazil conducted a shamanic rite.
Putanny Yawanawà, the leader of an indigenous Amazon tribe, took the stage to deliver a speech. Adjacent to the formal proceedings, she engaged in a ritual, singing tribal songs and placing her hands on the foreheads of the gathered leaders, symbolizing a spiritual connection. Among them were notable figures such as Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund; Ajay Banga, the president of the World Bank; Jesper Brodin, the CEO of IKEA; and billionaire André Hoffmann.
Chief Puttany stated that “to look to the future we must look back and see what the wishes of our ancestors were.” Before performing the shamanic rite, Puttany said “we can join our hands, unite our hearts, unite our thoughts in the same direction, for the healing of the planet and spiritual healing” while assuring that “when we unite in our thinking and our heart, our Mother Earth will listen to us.”
Within minutes Christian media criticized the event. Father Jesús Silva Castignani, a priest from the Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain, raised inquiries about the prevailing spirituality guiding the World Economic Forum, which is currently convening its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland: “What spirit guides Davos?”
Michael Knowles of Daily Wire+ said that it was “obviously not a Christian prayer” noting “one can only imagine what supposed deity she is invoking” in a a spiritual action via her “bacteria-ridden breath.” He promptly labeled her a “witch” and noted that the counterparts to shamans are priests but the former cavort with demons and deny the truth, actions similar to the “liberal elites” at Davos.
Putanny, the wife of Yawanawa tribe leader Nixiwaka, holds the distinction of being one of the first women in her community to undergo the highest spiritual initiation bestowed by the elders. Recognizing her trailblazing efforts in establishing a sacred path for other women, she received commendation from the Brazilian Senate for her significant role in women’s emancipation.
The Wild Hunt is grateful for the recent support.
The Wild Hunt is very grateful to our readers for your recent financial support and amazing words of encouragement. We remain one of the most widely-read news sources within modern Paganism, and our reporters and columnists remain dedicated to a vision of journalism for and about our family of faiths.
As a reminder, this is the type of story you only see here. This is how to help:
Tax Deductible Donation | PayPal Donations | Join our Patreon
You can also help us by sharing this message on your social media.
As always, thank you for your support of The Wild Hunt!
Do you have news to share with our community?
Announcements? Elevations? Events?
Let us know at pcn@wildhunt.org.
Announcements
The Society for Ritual Arts announced a new venture, Roses Wildflowers Magazine, home for mythopoeia in fiction, poetry, and art has the lineup for the inaugural issue ready to go with magical illustrations by Lauren Raine, Helena Domenic, Denita Benyshek, Ukrainian fabulist Inna Vjuzhanina and more!
Lezlie Kinyon will serve as Editor-in-Chief and noted that Pagans from many different traditions are involved in this project!
Coreopsis Journal of Myth and Theatre still lives and the two journals will complement each other with insightful essays and interviews and wondrous tales from outstanding authors.
The lineup for the Inaugural Spring Issue to be published on February 29, 2024 will be:
Featured:
- Excerpt from Nymphya, “What have I forgotten?”
- Accompanying Musical offering by Nymphya
Fiction:
- T.K. Rex “Davu the Explorer and the Druid Tía Yara”
- Katherine Kerestman “The Cat-God of Zebula”
- Melissa Cole “You are Red”
- Rachel Rodman “The Yellow Brick Roooooaaaad…”
- Devan Barlow “Gems Against Flesh”
- Stephanie Ross “The Legend of Condor and Eagle”
Poetry
- Ron Boyer “Tammuz”
- Lauren Raine “Circe’s Lament”
- Sally Bennet “Two Moons in a Purple Sky”
- Nnadi Samuel “Weather of my own Making”
Upcoming Events
Turning the Tide 17: “Crafting the Magick” Festival is happening the weekend of February 2nd – 4th, 2024. Have you reserved your spot yet? Come join Everglades Moon Local Council as we celebrate our 17th year hosting Turning the Tide. This wonderful little festival happens yearly in Northern Miami-Dade County and is full of great workshops like learning to plarn (plastic yarn) and the basics of wood burning, rituals including ou Main Ritual on Saturday night, and events like a concert by Aerik Arkadian and Potluck Dinner on Saturday. Want to join us? Go to Turning the Tide 17 “Crafting the Magick” Reservation Form and We invite you to reserve your spot today.
The Polk County Pagan Market (PCPM) has announced dates for 2024 that we are excited to share.
More Pagan Outreach, and more educational workshops all at no cost, we have added LGBTQIA+ reps so that we may do more in that area as well. We are also going on the road to host a variety of “On The Road ” events for 2024 and 2025.
In 2023, Polk County Pagan Market became a center of debate between both Pagans and Christians throughout the state of Texas as a local pastor threatened the market with a backlash. The next Polk Pagan will take place at the Imbolc Festival on January 27, 2024, in Livingston TX at Pedigo Park. Following that event, the Ostara Festival will take place on March 9, 2024, in Livingston TX at the same location.
Imagine being in a family of marvels – an aunt who discovered DNA, a nephew who can fly, a cousin who can swim as fast as Olympic swimmers, and more. It’s real! Science shows that all life on Earth is our literal family – and that connection fills me with joy and awe. It also spurs me to action. Our Earth is my body as much as my arm or leg, making climate change a direct threat to so much that I love. Join me on February 12th, discovering the biology which connects us all – including all mammals, all animals, and all life on Earth! The meeting will be hosted on Zoom and facilitated by a member of our Action Team.
Join Zoom Meeting: or, open the Zoom app and enter the Meeting ID and Passcode:
Meeting ID: 890 3027 2698, Passcode: CCL
Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Sun and Moon Tarot, by Vanessa Decort, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Card: Nine (9) of Cups – Happiness
The next seven days are liable to offer up a plethora of positivity with an emphasis on emotional and physical balance and wellness, as well as success in financial and professional areas. Opportunities for fulfillment and satisfaction are likely and should be embraced and celebrated.
Conversely, all of the accolades in the universe are unlikely to provide satisfaction and fulfillment if the inner self is out of balance or unwell. Introspection and a bit of soul searching may be required to realign and rebalance to find real joy.
The Wild Hunt is not responsible for links to external content.
To join a conversation on this post:
Visit our The Wild Hunt subreddit! Point your favorite browser to https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Wild_Hunt_News/, then click “JOIN”. Make sure to click the bell, too, to be notified of new articles posted to our subreddit.